Intrauterine Infection and the Development of Brain Injury in the Preterm Baby

Background to research

Previously, the brain was thought to be relatively protected from inflammatory processes initiated within the rest of the body in response to infection.  However, it is now recognised that inflammation within the brain may lead to significant injury. Cytokines, small proteins produced by cells within the brain in response to infection act as mediators of the inflammatory response.  Their actions in the brain can be either part of the healing process or be injurious.  Resolving the degree to which these cytokines are injurious or protective to the brain remains a major issue of importance in understanding brain biology.  This is particularly important to those babies born prematurely who have been exposed to infection during pregnancy and who appear to be particularly susceptible to such injury.

In NZ alone, approximately 500 babies are born premature per year (<1500g). Approximately 450 of these babies survive. On later diagnosis, 50% who survive show some degree of neurological and cognitive impairment whereas 5-15 % develop serious neurological deficits, such as cerebral palsy. In NZ, a high rate of preterm labour within the Maori community is of major concern, because of the potential for greater risk of neurological impairment. Our studies will aim to resolve major issues concerning our understanding of inflammation in the brain and to the growing problem of brain injury in prematurely delivered babies.

What are your research objectives?

Our research will help us understand how infection can cause injury to the brains of these premature babies; identifying how this occurs will aid in the development of more appropriate therapeutic approaches that may reduce or prevent injury.

Are there others in your field in NZ or globally conducting similar research?

We are the only group within NZ to conduct this type of research; there are only a few other biomedical and clinical research labs in the world that are undertaking work in this field.

What is innovative about the approach you are taking?

Our research will enable us to address fundamental questions that remain unresolved. In particular, why do current therapeutic treatments fail to prevent brain injury in these babies that have been exposed to infection? What processes are initiated in these babies’ brains in response to infection and how do these processes cause irreversible damage.

Is there national or international collaboration on your research project?

We are collaborating with colleagues at the Moredun Research Institute and Molecular Immunology Group Centre, at the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh. This collaboration will allow us to provide new knowledge in relation to infection-related brain injury and enable us to develop research strategies for improved prevention of injury.

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